Who is this for?
Career development practitioners, career leaders and employability advisers working in schools, higher education, further education, National Careers Service, training providers, housing associations, workforce development roles, careers focused companies and charities.
Why this programme?
It includes the professionally recognised qualification-OCR Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance & Development as well as the Apprenticeship Diploma. It provides the depth of knowledge and skills development required for this demanding role.
Why us?
AC Training has successfully worked with careers qualifications for fifteen years. AC Training has been involved in the CDP 6 since its introduction in 2019 and was the first provider to put learners through end-point assessment. AC Training has worked to-date with twenty cohorts of learners across England. All skills coaches are experienced and qualified in career development and assessment. AC Training offers high quality learning through workshop delivery, coaching and access to a comprehensive library of resources.
How is the programme delivered?
The programme is delivered in 3 principal ways:
- Monthly Workshop Teaching: Over the course of the year, there will be a series of monthly workshops focused on career development theory and practice. Your attendance at these will support your progress through the course. The programme launch will typically be delivered in person and subsequent workshops will be delivered online. Remote workshops will be delivered over half days. You are expected to attend these workshops and you will need a microphone and camera for the remote sessions.
- Individual Training: Each of you will be allocated a skills coach. They are responsible for guiding you through the programme, delivering 1-2-1 training, observing you in the workplace and giving objective feedback. They have significant experience in the delivery of career development and can help relate the theory to the reality within the workplace.
- Resources and Activities: You will have access to a series of online resources and related activities. The resources are there to offer you an opportunity to read into the theory. The associated activities have been written, in order to place the theory into a practical context. The activities can be completed individually or with your coach as a focus for a learning discussion.
What is covered in the programme?
The following topics form the core of the content:
- Understanding the career development sector
- Career development theory
- Interaction and interviewing skills
- Labour market intelligence
- Reflective practice
- Networking and negotiation skills
What is the commitment?
Unlike some programmes, this is an apprenticeship, so it does require you to commit to eighteen months training and an assessment at the end. We understand you are busy people and the aim is that the programme can be completed with the minimum amount of additional work.
The workshop teaching is deliberately kept to a manageable level, but you do need to attend these. We will need some more of your time to ensure you are able to complete the programme. In addition to the workshop training, you and your skills coach will meet either individually or in a small group (no more than 3 or 4) once a month. These meetings will typically take place remotely via Zoom/Teams and last approximately 2 hours. Finally, we need you to do a bit of reading into the resources and complete the activities linked to this. This can be done whenever you have the time and you should factor in about 2 hours per week for this.
All of this work contributes to your ‘Off the Job’ Training quota.
What does it cost?
In short it doesn’t cost you anything. The programme is funded through the government apprenticeship system and all large employers pay into this already. If you work for a smaller organisation e.g. a small school, you can still take the programme but your organisation would need to contribute £450 to the cost of the training
There are a couple of things to be aware of:
Eligibility:
The programme utilises government funding through the apprenticeship system and comes with some eligibility criteria.
The following are eligible:
- British or EU Citizens
- Anyone who has a valid work permit for the UK and has been resident in the UK for 3 years or more.
- Must have a contract covering the duration of the programme.
Functional Skills:
As of 11th February 2025, you no longer need to provide English and Maths GCSEs (or equivalent) if you are over 18 years old on the start date of your apprenticeship, in order to complete your apprenticeship.
That said, some employers may still ask you to work towards English and Maths qualifications as part of your apprenticeship, and you may choose to complete them to boost their confidence or career prospects. If that’s something you’d like to do — or if you’re unsure — we’ll talk it through with you and help you decide what’s right for you.